Thursday, October 4, 2012

Monaco: Passing Through

the 'holy shit what am I driving through' face

On our drive from Florence, Italy to Nice, France we planned to drive through Monaco. Because, why not? We weren't certain if we would be able to stop (parking = €€€) but would likely just scope out what the city looked like, and if it was somewhere we would like to return to someday. It's a good thing this was only a reconnaissance mission, because when we turned up there was a triathlon happening along its many narrow, one-way streets, making Monaco one of the most chaotic and least car friendly places ever (despite the many, many expensive cars zipping along its streets).

Glitzy, pink, and buttercup yellow, the city's streets are crammed with pretty little buildings. But honestly, the city looks much nicer from above. If you are approaching by car from the east, there is a beautiful look off that allows you to appreciate Monaco one step removed from the alluring but quite commercial atmosphere that pervades the city.

The result of our reconnaissance mission is that we decided we definitely want to return to Monaco (and live out my James Bond fantasy), and stay in the city for a night just to have the experience. But one night is more than enough. After that, we'll retreat to the gorgeous towns west of Monaco, bursting with palm trees and hugging the tall rocky cliffs. Come back tomorrow for photo evidence of why we loved those tiny towns more than Monaco, in all its glamorous glory, dahling.